Emergency rest centres
A rest centre is a safe temporary shelter or haven for evacuees. In some serious emergency situations such as flooding, fire or a bomb warning, the police may advise people to evacuate their homes. If this happens, the local council, with the help of the voluntary organisations, will set up a rest centre to look after evacuees who have nowhere else to stay.
Rest centres are usually set up in leisure centres, schools or church halls and provide a safe shelter for people until they are allowed to return to their homes or are provided with temporary accommodation.
Rest centre exercises are vital practice to those who will look after people in a real evacuation. They also give us an opportunity to learn and improve our plan for care of people in an evacuation.
Setting up a rest centre is a fairly complex task. When somebody has been evacuated from their home they need to be registered so that their family or friends can be told they are safe.
They may need:
- food and drink
- medication
- help with health problems
- clothing
- pet care
- comforting
- resting and sleeping arrangements if the evacuation is overnight
The council have fully trained officers able to deal with these needs in an emergency situation.